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During recent Reform UK media events, a pair of notable heads can often be seen in the forefront: the near-white locks of party policy chief Danny Kruger and the styled blond hair of senior adviser James Orr.

As well as guiding the policy programme for what could be the UK’s future administration, the pair have something else in common. Both are deeply committed believer who found religion in later life, and possess trenchant views on social issues such as abortion and the traditional family unit.

Connections and Convictions

Kruger, an MP, who switched allegiance from the Conservatives, and Orr, a Cambridge academic, are members of the advisory board of a rightwing thinktank called the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

A further participant is the financier Paul Marshall, the hedge fund millionaire who owns GB News and the rightwing Spectator magazine. Marshall is a devout Christian.

“Faith, particularly evangelical Christianity, has in recent decades been a key characteristic of US rightwing politics,” its followers forming the bedrock of Donald Trump’s support.

Cross-Over Connections

There are some links. Orr is sufficiently close to JD Vance that he has welcomed him at his family home. Orr is also involved in the National Conservatism movement, which has connections to the US religious-populism world.

However, direct parallels quickly break down due to a basic issue of scale. While polling shows that nearly a fourth of US adults are evangelical Christians, the proportion for the UK is roughly one-tenth of that at most.

A Different Landscape

An additional crucial element to take into account. While US evangelicals tilt strongly to the political right, new polling by the UK’s Evangelical Alliance suggests that the broader situation here is markedly distinct.

Research of nearly 1,500 evangelicals places Labour in the lead with 26% support. The Reform party and Liberal Democrats are tied on 20%, with the Conservatives on 18%.

Other questions demonstrate support among evangelicals for more generous welfare payments, but also concerted alarm about plans to permit assisted dying.

“Sometimes with evangelicals there can be a gap between personal views, especially on social issues, and how people cast their ballot,” said one advocacy head. “As an instance, someone might have a strong opinion on abortion, but they don’t see voting as a way to lead to change.”

Cross-Party Belief

Evangelism is present in parliament, including cross-party prayer group meetings. But it is a phenomenon also of the political left, with figures like Kruger balanced out by Tim Farron and the Labour Party Member of Parliament Rachael Maskell.

She has been explicit about how faith informs her politics, notably on issues such as poverty.

“Ethical fairness was ‘a big part’ of Labour politics,” Maskell argued. “It stems from our foundations, how we think about disparity in society, making sure we have a fair framework.”

Emerging Currents

Nonetheless, there exists a distinct and more recent side to religion in UK politics, one influenced by American ideas of religious nationalism.

Tommy Robinson has begun to portray himself as explicitly Christian, though a lot of this is done as a counterpoint to Islam.

In a similar vein, Nick Tenconi, who leads the UK outpost of the Turning Point group, includes social media messaging about the country needing to “re-embrace Christianity” alongside anti-Muslim content.

One striking manifestation of this, a Turning Point-allied nationalist Christian group called King’s Army marched in formation through Soho, a location seemingly chosen as it is the centre of London’s LGBT community.

Limited Influence

These elements remain, however, relatively marginal in UK politics. While critics sometimes portray certain figures as wealthy incubators of American-style religious politics, friends insist they are simply observant believers who are strongly opposed to any political exploitation of faith.

He has been not averse to occasional off-piste language, for example in an address to condemn what he said was a younger generation influenced by a blend of ideologies.

“In the UK you do have a few Christian nationalists, but when it comes to politics it tends to be a sort of Christian nostalgia, linked to our historical character,” noted an analyst.

One Christian MP on the right observed that while the issue of assisted dying had united MPs with faith, any connections beyond that felt limited.

“I certainly don’t get the sense of much of an evangelical lobby,” they commented. “For me, my faith is more a basis for what I personally hold. And here, religion is not particularly a decisive electoral issue.”